I was recently was given a much coveted copy of Joseph Rodriguez’s East Side Stories. It’s lush. It just re-confirms for me that the best place to see photography is in a book.

Galleries are good, but they often carry an elitist edge and rednecks like duckrabbit can feel a bit out of place.

The computer screen is good too, but photographs often get lost in the noise and knocked about unfairly by snap judgements.

Book print runs are often very small and expensive. They reach a small and often pretty exclusive group of people. I’d like everyone to see Joseph’s pictures, so if you come by my house there’s a good chance you’ll get the book put down in front of you.

Of course if you want to reach a really wide audience than the internet is the place to go That’s why Joseph’s latest project has its own website, and bloody good it is too.

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Related posts:

1. Joseph Rodriguez – Where it’s at (part 1)
2. Where it’s at, Joseph Rodriguez (part two)
3. Where it’s at – Joseph Rodriguez (part 3)

Imprisoned Body

Four people who have been incarcerated share their feelings about the experience. The story is built around the body and how it is affected by the prison environment or used as a tool to respond to the situation. There is no frills, no drama, just the naked truth.

Probably one of the best way to deter anyone from doing anything that can lead to emprisonnement.

This documentary won the FRANCE 24-RFI Web Documentary Award at this year Visa d’Or in Perpignan.

It’s in French with no subtitles. Apologies to non-French speakers.

Valerie Leick

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3. Is this journalism, art, documentary, advocacy

This week we’re kicking off a new series ‘ Where it’s at’. This is where the finest work we sing about on duckrabbit will go. The stuff that kicks our ass.

Where better to start then with  Joseph Rodriguez?

Regular readers will know that duckrabbit couldn’t give a toss about the tedious cult of the photographer but kids could do a lot worse then carve Rodriguez’s name into their arm.  Why?

Aren’t you fed up with all those knobheads that think its cool to shoot crack addicts, that think they’re the photographic answer to Jack Kerouac, Bukowski, or some other gin soaked poet heading for an early grave?

At duckrabbit we call it ‘glamorous grime’ and it seems to have an unshakable grip and unfathomable weight in the photographic community.  duckrabbit finds it bewildering.

So many photographers think that they can stride into the shadows and expect to make sense of something at such a shallow level. Infact the more screwed up their subject the better.

I mean do you really think its surprising that there are drug addicts in Afghanistan, the worlds number one producer of heroin? That’s about as revealing as shooting portraits of a chocoholic in a chocolate factory.

Please get a grip.

Why the rant?

Some people throw Rodriguez in with all this nonsense because he comes from a ghetto, but he’s completely different. I mean from what I can gather most of the photographers that practice ‘glamorous grime’ come out out of the worst kind of ghetto, the white American one. That’s why the down and out stuff turns them on so much, because it makes them feel like they’re down with the people.

Morons.

Rodriguez’s roots give him an empathy and an insight into the lives of others. That’s why it was Rodriguez who shot Harlem for the National Geographic back when they were doing stories that went beyond monotone.

He only sees people, not photo opportunities.

He records lives lived and he never measures the lives of those he shoots against a a photographic award, magazine spread or advertising contract.

His eye is never on the future, it is always in conversation with the now.

Rodriguez plays no games. He’s fooling no-one.  Simply put his work is essential.

This week we’ll be looking at his work on the Criminal Justice System in America and anything else we can claw from him.

I know that Pete Brook at Prison Photography will also be writing about Rodriguez, so I’ll give duckrabbit readers a heads up when his more cultured digital ink hits the screen.

Please take the time to read Joseph’s words below and watch one of three photo films produced by Benjamin Jarosch we’ll be featuring on the site.

Reentry in Los Angeles By Joseph Rodriguez

There have been many studies over the past several decades dealing with the Criminal Justice System in the United States. Most recently the Pew Center on the States released a report, One in 31 the Long Reach of American Corrections, stating

“The sentencing and release laws passed in the 1980s and 1990s put so many more people behind bars that last year the incarcerated population reached 2.3 million and, for the first time, one in 100 adults was in prison or jail.”

The report continues to say that,

“With far less notice, the number of people on probation or parole has skyrocketed to more than 5 million, up from 1.6 million just 25 years ago. Combined with those in prison and jail, a stunning 1 in every 31 adults, or 3.2 percent, is under some form of correctional control.”

What are the indirect but often overlooked impact of these statistics?

My work provides countless opportunities for discussion, dialogue, and exploration related to the lives of those people directly and indirectly impacted by the incarceration and subsequent release of prisoners – namely, the children, the spouses, and the community.

Through working with Walden House I have learned the ripple effect of incarceration is profound, but rarely discussed. The family paradigm is shifting.

What expectations does a wife have of her husband who has been away from home and society for over 10 years?  Why is he unable to sit at the dinner table like he used to?  Why has he forgotten how to talk to his children?  How long will it take for him to find work?  When, if ever, will the community embrace him as one of their own again?

How families adapt (or fail to adapt) to the absence and return of an incarcerated parent, spouse, son, or daughter goes largely unnoticed by the criminal justice system and is left to an over-burdened social services sector. With fewer resources available, the report said, “prison costs are blowing a hole in state budgets.” As a result many states are beginning to look at alternatives to the old way of dealing with incarceration, especially with its nonviolent drug offenders.

As a photojournalist I felt compelled to humanize these statistics.

At Walden House, a local drug and alcohol treatment center operating for 38 years in the state of California, I took it upon myself to photograph and interview residents, many of who have been repeat offenders. Its program has evolved into a national leader in developing strategies to help addicts recover and maintain their lives. Today it helps treat more than 3,400 men, women, and children daily.

RESPONSE

John Edwin Mason:

Rodriguez’s work is indeed amazing, DR–beautiful, emotionally powerful, intellectually challenging.

I’m part of a project that’s teaching photography to poor black and Latino teenagers. We’ve shown them Rodriguez’s website for a couple different reasons. First, we simply want them to see some great photography. Second, we want them to know that it’s done by people from their community and that it often reflects lives similar to theirs.

TOM WHITE:

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Joseph a few times and a more decent, committed, straight talking gentleman one could not hope to meet. He photographs people because he genuinely gives a shit about their situation and wants you to do so too. An inspiration, and not just to photographers.

STAN B:

Excellent presentation!

This reminds me of a very simple and very powerful photography exhibit I saw back in the late 70’s. Small snapshot, B&W portraits of “Bowery bums” telling their stories typed on index cards of how they got to skid row. Some of the most incredibly, heart wrenching stories ever told- even if only half of them were true…

As for the the US prison industrial complex, along with “the war on drugs-” an outright collusion of policies.

ADAM WESTBROOK

“As a photojournalist I felt compelled to humanize these statistics.”

Amen.

Related posts:

1. Joseph Rodriguez – Where it’s at part 5
2. Where it’s at, Joseph Rodriguez (part two)
3. Where it’s at – Joseph Rodriguez (part 3)

Just been checking out PRISON PHOTOGRAPHY where Pete Brook should get an award for his comparison between American and British criminals. Having worked in a prison all I can say is ‘NO COMMENT’.

In America there are gangsta’s, crack heads and wild kids. In Britain there thugs, scallies and pill-poppers – these are broad categories and don’t describe much, but my effort is to say that the two countries have different types of criminal. It is my feeling that the extreme inequalities of American cities breed a certain type of hardened criminal, whereas Britain’s subtler inequalities breed a certain type of hardened idiot.

Related posts:

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2. ‘The very things that make you live are killing you’
3. Images of Sexual Violence (1): Saying Things Kept Silent, Showing Things Kept Hidden

There’s something very special when another blogger writes to you because they have discovered someone or something so great that they are gripped with an overwhelming urge to share it with the world. It’s not enough that its on their blog, it needs to be on everyone’s blog and if enough bloggers care then sparks may fly and sometimes ignite new fire.

Today I got a very understated email

‘Thought you might like this’.

I followed the link to find work beyond any words I can find.  You will too.

Related posts:

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2. ‘I thought that I was in the belly of the beast’
3. Just another thought provoking comment on duckrabbit

duckrabbit today launches an exciting new free entry photo competition with a twist. One lucky person will win a lip smackingly beautiful $1000. The task is simple … all you need to do is restore a little bit of duckrabbit’s faith in the world. Intrigued?  Read on …

The roots of duckrabbit’s competition stated several weeks ago when I came across a powerful post on Stan Banos’ Reciprocity failure. Banos writes:

‘A year or so ago, I sent a “Letter to the Editor” of PDN (which they published) observing how little things had changed in the 35 years I have been involved in photography. More specifically, it was commenting on their “Major Movers and Shakers of Photography” issue- in which the major curators, editors, gallery owners, and publishers featured were all (with the possible exception of one Asian female)… white. OK, OK, one can’t possibly pin PDN with the blame for lack of minority representation in the upper echelon of the photographic universe. Agreed.

Then I get my hands on the PDN May 2009 Photo Annual and check out their 24 (not a half dozen, or ten, or a baker’s dozen at that- but 24!) judges, each and every one- white, white and white! I know it can’t possibly be something as absurdly ridiculous as the now trite mantra of- “I just don’t see race.” It’s what year, what century, what presidency? Just how is it that to this day, people of color are still not represented anywhere near proportionately in these creative command positions?

… the other reasons for such obvious exclusion are even more nefarious and depressing, ranging from out an out indifference to blatant passive racism. Regardless, I still don’t know what possible, plausible excuse could exist for an all white jury from a publication of such influence.’

The following day Banos went on to write:

‘Some of us only have to worry about race when we’re in certain neighborhoods, for others it’s a crucial and defining factor throughout our lives. Ultimately, it’s something that affects us all. It’s nice to vote for a symbol; it’s more important to deal with everyday realities and consequences. This country and planet has witnessed too many of the ensuing horrors when we don’t.’

duckrabbit’s competition is simple. Stan Banos claims PDN’s action is in part an example of ‘passive racism.’ Surely an outrageous slur on the photographic industry?  In the absence of PDN feeling the need to respond, duckrabbit are offering $1000 to anyone who can prove Banos wrong.

Simple.

To be honest duckrabbit presumed Banos must have made a mistake somewhere.  Then I noticed that Pete Brook, author of the blog Prison Photography (one of the most intelligent reads on this or any other planet) added that this was a blatant act of “Passive racism”.  duckrabbit sat up. Maybe this wasn’t just the shooting off of a lone blogger?

Yesterday I came across PDN’s website where they are making a wonderful song and dance of their judging panel in all its glorious lack of color. My conscience cracked.

It just seems like a big two fingers up to a future world that is more equal than the one we’re living in right now.

Photojournalism has been responsible in bringing to our attention some of the terrible inequalities that plague this planet. It’s an industry and an art that has made a difference, has changed the way that people like me  think and feel about the world. But like Pete Brook, as an outsider, I’m starting to wonder, if at the heart of the industry lies a dark hypocrisy, so entrenched that no-one dares speak about it. I’m starting to feel cheated.

Whilst photography has been hell bent on changing the world for passion and for profit, perhaps it has failed to change itself? Failed to be the change that it wants to see in the world?

At duckrabbit we’ve decided to encourage the debate. We’re responding to PDN’s competition with one of our own. We’re asking them to prove Stan wrong, to engage with his comments, or else at the very least acknowledge the issue. That’s all. And we’re offering $1000 to the first person, anyone, who can come to PDN’s defense and answer his question as to ‘what possible, plausible excuse could exist for an all white jury from a publication of such influence?’

Here are the list of PDN’s judges.  Maybe you know one of them? If so perhaps you could drop them an email and let them know that there is a grand up for grabs. I bet they are all good people, but I wonder if they feel a twinge of embarrassment when they look down the list?

The money’s on the table. The cards have been dealt. Which way you going to bet?

(To win simply post your submission.  We’ll pop it up on the blog. We’ll pay out to the first person who can convince Stan Banos. You have two weeks)

Joe Elbert was the assistant managing editor of photography for The Washington Post newspaper from 1988 through 2007. Under his direction The Washington Post photography staff won more awards than any other newspaper in the history of journalism. In 2003 he received the Joseph A. Sprague award, the highest award given by the National Press Photographers.

Julie Rosenoff is the manager of art buying at Euro RSCG Worldwide, in New York. She still loves what she does after all these years, as every project provides a new opportunity to work with the amazing talent. In her spare time, Rosenoff enjoys spending time with her almost 2-year-old, son, Clayton.

Michael Foley opened Foley Gallery in the Fall of 2004 after 15 years of working with notable photography galleries including Fraenkel Gallery, Howard Greenberg Gallery and Yancey Richardson Gallery. He is on the faculty of both Parsons The New School for Design and the School of Visual Arts where he teaches and lectures on issues in contemporary photography.

Shannon McMillan is a senior art buyer at GSD&M Idea City, where she has worked for the past eight years. Her passion and commitment to producing great work is not limited to what she has produced within the world of advertising. Shannon also designs original glass jewelry and is a photographer—shooting for both her personal projects and for clients and in-house projects at GSD&M.

Patrick Donehue is a photographer, educator and consultant who has specialized in the production, marketing and management of stock photography since 1982. He has held senior positions at Corbis and Getty Images and is the former president of the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA).

David J. Carol is the author of the award winning photography book 40 Miles of Bad Road… His new photography book All My Lies are True… will be released in Spring 2009. www.DavidCarol.com

Dennis Keeley has worked as an artist, photographer, teacher, and writer for more than 25 years. He is currently the chair of the Photography and Imaging Program at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Ca.

As co-founder and CMO of Splashlight, Benoit Lagarde has been instrumental in the company’s growth into a multi-million dollar corporation over a period of seven years. Benoit’s creative vision has been the critical and driving force behind the company’s growth. Trained as a professional photographer, Benoit studied at the International Center for Photography in New York. Prior to his work in the photography business, Benoit served in the hospitality industry and has carried his passion for creative food arts with him to Splashlight—overseeing the award-winning eateries inside Splashlight’s various locations.

Jennie Myers maneuvers a hypoallergenic mouse through Adobe-made mazes from a remote desk located at the offices of Drake Cooper (an ad agency) in exotic Boise, Idaho, where she is chiefly employed as associate creative director, and sometimes as deputy director of “ooh-those-shoes-are-fierce.” She recently celebrated her tenth anniversary as a creative by taking design to a fancy, downtown restaurant. Jennie also occasionally harasses design students at Boise State University dressed as an adjunct professor.

Yossi Milo is the owner of Yossi Milo Gallery in New York City. The gallery specializes in contemporary photography and works on paper.

Paul Amador is director and co-owner of Cohen Amador Gallery, located in the Fuller building in New York City. The gallery, opened in 2005, specializes in modern and contemporary photography, and represents mid-career artists from Japan, Europe and the U.S. Prior to opening Cohen Amador Gallery, Mr. Amador was director of Lyons Wier Gallery, a contemporary art gallery located in Chelsea, New York City. Mr. Amador began his career as an international banker in New York and London in the early 1980s and began to collect and practice photography as a hobby shortly thereafter. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and studied photography and print-making at the New School in New York. He left the banking field in 2001 to pursue his interest in the photographic arts on a full-time basis.

Steve Bliss is an artist and educator residing in Savannah, Georgia. His photographs, digital collages and various works on paper are among the holdings of a variety of museums and private collectors throughout the country and overseas. Steve currently serves as the dean of the School of Fine Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Liz Miller-Gershfeld has been working in advertising for 15 years. She has been producing award winning art for clients such as Wrigley, Jim Beam Brands, Bayer Brands, Dial and many more as a vice president and senior art producer at Energy BBDO since 2000. Earlier, she worked on the production end of the process—getting her start as a production assistant on small feature films. Now a frequent lecturer and panelist, Miller-Gershfeld lives in Chicago with her husband and two sons.

Bruno Ceschel is a freelance editor, writer, and photography consultant living in New York. His current project is a book on contemporary queer photography, and he is the editor of the new art / porn magazine STROKE, which will premiere in Summer 2009. Before moving to New York, Ceschel was based in London, where he worked on the 2008 edition of the Brighton Photo Biennial and for Chris Boot Ltd, and was visiting professor at the London College of Communication.

John Sale is assistant managing editor for visuals at The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis, Tenn. He manages still and video photojournalism, design and graphic art, which is a fancy way of saying that he spends his days clicking on pictures. Sale started in the news photo business at age 16 and has won over 100 picture editing and design awards from international competitions.

Samaruddin “Sam” Stewart has edited visuals for several news outlets including The Arizona Republic, Agence France-Presse, and most recently AOL, where he managed photo editors and was responsible for the visual direction of AOL news, sports, and entertainment images for 6 years. Samaruddin has also photographed over 40 countries, spanning six continents. He holds a B.A. in journalism and a master’s degree in mass communication, both from Arizona State University. Stewart is an active member of NPPA, WHNPA, SPJ and ONA where he routinely gives presentations on photo topics and judges photography contests. He recently relocated to Budapest, Hungary where he will pursue new photography adventures.

After starting her career in her native Toronto, and during five years of living in New York, Tracy Doyle has worked with some of the best and brightest in the photographic community. She has had stints at Steven Klein’s and Annie Leibovitz’s studios, and she was part of the historic re-launch of Interview magazine where she has worked with greats such as Mert & Marcus, Craig McDean, Nick Knight, Fabien Baron, Karl Templer and Glenn O’brien. She teaches two classes at the School of Visual Arts, in addition to partaking in both their Mentor and Independent Study Programs.

Olivier Picard is the former director of photography at U.S. News and World Report. He has also worked as an editor in the National Geographic book division. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s he worked for the news agencies Sygma and Sipa Press. He is the recipient of numerous picture editing awards.

Michelle Bogre is a photographer, writer and lawyer specializing in copyright and media law. She is the former Chair of the Photography Department at Parsons The New School for Design and is currently an associate professor. Bogre helped to select the winners for this year’s Marty Forscher Fellowship.

Nan Oshin is currently a design consultant and creative director. She has worked with clients including Billboard magazine, the Carlyle Hotel, the Capital Group, Costco, C magazine, the Oracle Corporation, the Ritz Carlton Hotel Group, Warner Brothers, and WW Norton. She has extensive experience in the creative direction and design of magazines, most recently as the senior art director at the Los Angeles Times Sunday magazine. She has won awards for art direction and design, and has juried and curated numerous photography and design competitions and shows.

Elodie Mailliet is director of photography for Contour by Getty Images where she oversees the carefully edited collection of high-end celebrity portraiture. Prior to joining Getty Images, Mailliet was director of photography for portraiture and entertainment at Corbis Outline. In 2005, she was named one of the top 100 people in photography by American Photo. Mailliet is author of the book one2one, published by teNeues. In addition to her previous roles at Corbis and Icon International, she has worked as a freelance writer for numerous French and American publications such as Le Nouvel Observateur, VSD and French Photo. Mailliet currently resides in New York City.

Barbara Bordnick is a photographer with more than 25 years of experience in fashion, beauty and portraiture. She has garnered awards for outstanding work in film, print, advertising and art. Her images are in permanent collections at the International Center of Photography, the Gilman Collection in New York and the Polaroid Collection in Massachusetts. Bordnick helped to judge this year’s ASMP Arnold Newman Prize.

Peter B. Kaplan has been a photographer for more 30 years and his photographs have appeared in countless publications. Kaplan documented the Statue of Liberty’s historic restoration beginning in 1982, and currently has the most extensive story on the statue. Kaplan helped to judge this year’s Marty Forscher Fellowship.

Ariel Shanberg is the executive director of the Center for Photography at Woodstock, a non-profit artist-centered organization dedicated to supporting artists working in photography and related media, and engaging audiences through opportunities in which creation, discovery and education are made possible. Shanberg has curated many exhibitions at CPW and he has also contributed essays on the work of numerous photographers including Lucas Foglia, Angelika Rinnhofer, and Jeff Milstein. He also sits on the advisory board of En Foco.

Related posts:

1. duckrabbit is running a multimedia photography competition
2. If you are very fast you can be the 1000 person to like duckrabbit on FACEBOOK
3. Ouch – duckrabbit multimedia competition update

Some of you may know that duckrabbit has been working at the radio station at Brixton Prison who yesterday won four Sony Radio awards (the Oscars of the radio in the UK).

You can read all about it here in the Guardian

Bloody good show Andrew, Kim, Phil and the all the lads who have been locked up.

Your Say

Peter Brook, who writes the phenomenal blog Prison Photography drops by to say

Well done Duck. Their words, your support, the programs and the listenership are all vital pieces of the drive to make prison and its issues visible, audible and a lot less ‘Other’. Thanks.

Phil Maguire would like to register his thanks

Many thanks all. And many thanks to duckrabbit for your support.
Phil Maguire, Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association.

Related posts:

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3. Amnesty International Media Awards