Posted by Marc Ziccardi on Fri, Sep 04, 2009 @ 01:40 PM
When most people hear that a Category 5 hurricane is bearing down to make landfall they'll want to head in the opposite direction. When you're a photojournalist like Chris Usher, you head into the eye of the storm. On August 28th, 2005 Usher set out on this journey from Washington D.C. on assignment for TIME Magazine outfitted with an assortment of cameras, a digital audio recorder, and his trusted "War Wagon", a 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser. What he thought would be a 3 or 4 day assignment, turned into a three week experience that would leave a long lasting impression on him.
© Chris Usher
"Everyone was covering the story--no one was documenting it," says Usher. "No matter where you looked, there was a picture of destruction. It felt hollow to just shoot it and leave. You were walking on people's lives."
This was the sentiment that Usher felt while covering this assignment, and would resonate with him during his subsequent visits to the city of New Orleans; especially during the follow-up trips to document the rebuilding (or lack there of).
When the first Mardi Gras post-Katrina came around, an editor told Usher, "We're so over that story." Hearing that response Usher took it upon himself to finance his own effort to document this story, and took out a $75,000 home-equity loan and began the project One of Us. New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region had become an island of lost and displaced souls, and that was the story he wanted to tell through his photographs.
© Chris Usher
Chris knew this was a story that needed to be documented, not just covered. And so, One of Us was born. Published with the help of Eastman Kodak Company in partnership with ColorCentric, One of Us tells the three-year Post-Katrina story. The book is available online for $40.00 US. Through the support of Kodak, Usher will donate 100 percent of the $40 sales price from One of Us to the Gulf Coast Fund and the Southern Animal Foundation, relief organizations that continue to provide post-Katrina aid and assistance in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Chris Usher graduated from Indiana University at Bloomington with a degree in Journalism. Usher spent several years as a newspaper photographer, (Troy Daily News; Richmond Palladium Item; Louisville Courier Journal; Miami Herald; Orlando Sentinel) before going freelance and moving to Washington, DC in 1990. Currently living in Alexandria, Virginia, Usher's work appears regularly in domestic and international monthly and weekly publications. In between assignments, Usher is teaching workshops and experimenting with wet-plate processes. When he isn't working on assignments or projects, Chris would rather be fly-fishing in Montana.
To view photos and read more about Chris Usher's work, please visit: http://www.chrisusher.com/
Posted by Marc Ziccardi on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 @ 10:32 AM
For 88 years the White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA) has been hosting "The Eyes of History" awards gala: a black-tie dinner for nearly 1000 members, guests, industry executives, and Washington personalities. The event honors outstanding photojournalists who are at the frontlines of major news events in Washington and all across the world. "The Eyes of History" contest brings the best images of the President, political leaders, and major domestic and international news stories of the year to be judged by the finest photographers and directors of photography in the business.
PNY was chosen to present the "Political Photo of the Year" award, for the 2nd year in a row. Tony Gomez, VP of sales and marketing at PNY, presented the award to Charles Ommanney who captured an image of President-elect Barack Obama in a crowded hallway backstage at the Capitol moments before walking out to be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. In addition to being given his award, Ommanney was presented with a PNY flash memory product assortment.
Photo by Charles Ommanney/Getty Images
This year's gala was emceed by CBS Chief Washington Correspondent, Bob Schieffer, who also performed with his country-band Honky Tonk Confidential.
To read more and to see all the 2009 Eyes of History winning photos, please visit the WHNPA website. Link to: http://www.whnpa.org/contest/eyes2009/stills/
Posted by Marc Ziccardi on Thu, May 28, 2009 @ 12:53 PM
For nearly 20 years now, I've traveled the world for National Geographic Magazine. I've photographed everywhere from the jungles of Bolivia to the wolves of Yellowstone.
Of all the things I've seen, however, none has gotten my attention like the plight of endangered species.
As humans expand out, wildlife has less room. This has been a problem for hundreds of years, but with climate change, things have gotten a whole lot worse lately.
We all know about global ice melting, and how it affects animals like the polar bear and the walrus, creatures that are totally dependent on sea ice to survive.
But did you know about the frogs?
Amphibians are in serious trouble right this minute. Though they've been around for millions of years, they take in toxins through their skin, making them very susceptible to pollution. They're also water-dependent, meaning they can't survive if we drain the wetlands or muddy up the streams where they go to breed.
On top of all this, there's a new threat in town; a killer fungus. It's call chytrid, and it's spreading around the world at alarming rates. Nobody knows how it spreads exactly, or whether climate change encourages it. What we do know, however, is that it's often totally fatal to many species of frog, toad, newt or salamander that it comes across.
I've spent the past couple of years documenting not only the decline of amphibians, from the cloud forests of Ecuador to the High Sierras of California, but I've also been doing studio-style portraits of as many different amphibian species as I can in order to show readers the diversity and beauty of these amazing animals.
I hope you agree that they're all worth saving.
Joel Sartore
Lincoln, NE
www.joelsartore.com
The learn about fight against chytrid, check out the Vanishing Gems story in the April issue of National Geographic Magazine. (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/04/amphibian/species-photography
Posted by Marc Ziccardi on Thu, May 28, 2009 @ 12:52 PM
Welcome to the PNY Technologies blog. Here you can stay informed on our latest products, and keep up to date on all specials and promotions we are running throughout the year. Additionally, we'll be having guest bloggers contribute from time to time. In fact, National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore will be posting our first photography-related article about a recent assignment that had Joel photographing amphibians for the April issue of National Geographic Magazine.
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