Covering Obama's address to Congress

Iris PhotoCollective member, Pablo Martínez Monsívaís covered President Barack Obama's address to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. As an Associated Press staffer, he had the difficult responsibility of pool photographer, meaning that he was the only still shooter allowed on the floor, and that his photos would supply newspapers all over the world. 

Washington, D.C. based photographer, John Harrington produced this video for his blog, PhotoBusiness News & Forum. It features interviews with Pablo, New York Times photographer Doug Mills, and USA Today photographer H. Darr Beiser, on how they covered the speech for their publications. 

Miami Heart Gallery

The photographers of Iris PhotoCollective were among a select group tapped to participate in the Children's Trust Miami Heart Gallery, a traveling exhibit that showcases foster children in need of adoption.  More than 70 children in Miami-Dade's foster care system who are available for adoption are featured in the exhibit. More info on the Miami Heart Gallery can be found at www.miamiheartgallery.org.

To see video from Channel 4 in Miami and learn more about the project click here.

A New Era

photo by Carl Juste for McClatchy News Service

Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States last Tuesday, and has been received as a champion by people throughout the country and all over the world. No change of leadership in modern history has engendered so much hope and enthusiasm with so many people. He is  truly representative of change, of a new paradigm as the world moves forward in the 21st century. His presidency comes at a time when the world is in crisis, at a critical point, and despite our uncertainties about our own futures, we are all fortunate to bear witness to this hour in history.

Iris PhotoCollective photographers were there throughout the Inaugural weekend. Pablo Martínez Monsívais covered it for the Associated Press, Carl Juste was assigned by McClatchy

 News Service, and André Chung and Clarence Williams photographed for the Inaugural Committee's Official Inaugural Book. You can learn more about the book project at www.obamaphotobook.com. Following are some of their thoughts and photos and a larger gallery of work can be viewed in the gallery named 44 at the Iris PhotoCollective website. Go to www.irisphotocollective.com to see more images.

Pablo Martínez Monsívaís: In our lives there aren't many 'firsts' that you can say you were witness to, days you will look back on and tell your grandchildren about...

'I was there when...'

Last Tuesday was one of those day that, probably, later when I recount the story, I'm going to forget how cold, windy and long my day turned out to be. Instead I'm going to remember how wonderful I felt to watch the events unfold, amazed at the spirit and drive our country is capable of achieving. With 2 million people attending, (the population of D.C., is 500,000), our whole country and the rest of the world had their collective eyes focused on the Capital. In other cities and countries, crowds this size are reserved for sporting or religious events. But not this day and not here. We as a country came out in a record numbers to take part in the peaceful transition of democracy. A democracy copied by some, and envied by many because of our capacity to continue to grow and adapt, to change our leaders peacefully without having a coup. In the end this was just AMAZING, plain and simple.

'I remember when I saw the President.'

This was the third inauguration I've covered - each one a bit different, and my assignments for those days as various as the circumstances surrounding the elections. On January 20, 2001, I covered protesters on foot in downtown D.C. who attempted to disrupt the inauguration festivities along the parade route. Back then, we had not yet experienced the attacks of 9/11, and in retrospect those opposing the outcome of the election were fairly calm. 

In 2005, I followed President Bush as a member of the travel pool, on a flatbed truck in his motorcade. While waiting to snap a picture of him walking down Pennsylvania Ave., there were raw eggs being thrown at his vehicle. The crowd looked much more hostile, causing members of the Secret Service to surround the limo and speed up their pace. People came out that day to show their displeasure for Bush's handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

'Tell us again what happened on that election night in Chicago? '

I was in Chicago on November 4th to witness the election of Obama, and the city's celebration of a South Side Senator's elevation into the most powerful office in the world. I smiled when I snapped photos, perched from a riser with the longest piece of Canon glass I have ever used, because I am from the South Side and like Barack, I am also a White Sox fan. That's corny I know, but I can't make this up. I looked around at the people in Grant Park, the different faces, ages and genders, and America was looking back at me celebrating. People hugging, smiling and a whole bunch of them crying.

Welcome to a brand new day.

'I woke up 5 minutes before my alarm clock to a house full of friends.'

I'm always going to remember where I was on Tuesday, January 20^th, 2008, or Inauguration Day. I keep reminding myself that I had witnessed 43 greeting 44 at 1600 Penn. -translation from DC-Speak -outgoing President George W. Bush shaking hands with incoming President Barack Obama at the White House. It was something I'd never seen before in my 15-plus years as a photojournalist - and mind you, I've seen a lot in my career. Here I was watching the transition of the Presidency of the US. I remember reading about this in countless history classes in school, but reading it is one thing, watching it happen ten feet away is completely different. Seeing Obama and Bush pose with the First Ladies at the North Portico of the White House I was reminded how normal both couples looked. What I mean is, our country has no kings - we elect regular people to be our leaders, and on January 20, 2009 the country watched as a man by the name of Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44^th President of the United States of America.

André Chung: I can't be happier about the way the country has turned around. Even though the economy continues to churn down the drain and we have a laundry list of problems we have to overcome, we've collectively managed to point ourselves in the right direction. 

I'm most choked up about what this means for the younger generation in this country. 

I have a daughter in high school and a son in middle school, and I find it breathtaking that to them, a black

president has just become normal. My children, our children, have really stepped into a new age. Although I've heard some cynical jokes about this, I think it's truly remarkable that at a time when things are so bleak and dismal, the American

 people would choose a black man to lead them home. 

My mother always told me and my siblings that we had to be twice as good as white folks to get the same distance. I know many of you reading this have been told the same by your parents. If my mother was right, then Obama would be twice as good as any president we've had. 

Carl Juste:  In my 20-plus years of photojournalism, I have never requested, demanded, or displayed ownership to any assignment.  I generally took a relaxed attitude

and a leap of faith that my work ethic, talent, and reputation would be suffice securing prized assignments.  Then came the Inauguration.  For the first time I felt I needed to

be there.  It did not matter in what capacity my talents would be used.  I just wanted to see and experience the inauguration for my father, my family, my friends, and mostly for myself.  I wanted to see, hear, and feel the moment with my own senses , no filters.

Clarence Williams: I wish our new President filled me with warm feelings and hope for a bright future. Unfortunately for me he doesn’t. I was excited on election night and the morning of the 5th. When I opened my local paper the next morning and realized that one of my collective mate’s images expressed our country’s joy, I was overwhelmed. I called him and left a tearful message thanking him. 

Soon after, reality crept back into my little world.

I’m proud of our President and happy for him. I have yet to rush out and buy a flag. I do not see that happening. All my let downs, pains and regrets are still the same.

I do not see any fewer Rebel flags where I travel on a regular basis. If I’m shot, chances are it will be by some equally angry Negro teenager.

I remain on edge. I’m still reading my Baldwin and Wright on a regular basis. I’m still angry.

In one way our new President has changed my life around. I use to be depressed and miserable. Now, I’m miserable and depressed.

In the meantime, as I breathlessly wait for my stimulus package I remain legally strapped and spend what little free time I have at the range or in the gym tossing iron plates around.

Nissa Benjamin: A Photo a Day

Nissa Benjamin was given the challenge of creating one image every day for one year. 365 photos in 365 days is the goal starting on July 11th, 2008. This is a visual diary of sorts with the aim of helping Benjamin understand the art of visual story-telling and the complexity of the visual language. Wish her luck!



7-24-08_dress
This was a day for love. The birds were chirping. The sun was shinning. In a little shop in Coral Gables a bride-to-be picked out her dress. Simplicity was the requirement. Feeding off of my subject, I made a quiet picture. She was reserved, did not talk much and listened intently to her mother’s every word. When she came out of the dressing room it was like magic. She played with the bow. She stared at the trim. She smiled. This was the one.

7-23-08_wings
She shall remain nameless. Her principal would kill her. Teachers cannot have tattoos. This was such a huge piece for such a small woman. Her entire back. The wings of an angel. She clenched a pillow and sucked on a cherry lollipop. She smiled. I cringed. I am good with pain.




7-22-08_waiter
I felt stuck inside today. Would have given anything to be outside today. Windows can sometimes be horrible. I liked the architectural design of Downtown Miami. It always catches my eyes. Then the sharp contrast of the silhouette brings me back to reality.



7-21-08_nude
Nude Bathers. Definitely a challenge. I felt very uncomfortable. What I consider so private was a public affair. I used the camera as a mask, which I usually do not do but it was my only way. I still felt that even though they were ok with me making pictures, I wanted to do something that would not be so obvious that they were naked.


7-20-08_mommy
I went to a park on my way home looking for something. I found a mother playing with her daughter barefoot. She started swinging her in circles. First she was on her mother’s back. Giggle. Then she was swung by the arms. Laugh. Then upside down. Tears.


7-19-08_auction
Ninety plus degrees and not a cloud in sight. A county auction for old police cars and old maintenance equipment. Men fighting for the right to own them. It was like a secret society. Complete with their own hand signals, slang and initiation. You could instantly point out the members from the wannabes.



7-18-08_runway
My first runway show. It consisted of tents and tents without any space.
Fighting for elbow room. Bathing suits I could only dream of. Rude photographers. Sweaty photographers. Beautiful women. Annoying people who felt they should stop in the middle of the walkway when you have 5 minutes to get to the other side of the terrace. Lights. Trying not to fall into the pool. Security guards who take their job way to seriously. Excitement. All in about 2hours. How time does fly?



7-17-08_moon
I haven't seen a full moon in a very long time. It stopped me in my tracks. I was driving and couldn't keep my eyes off of it. Don't remember the last time being outside just to be outside, or not going somewhere and doing something. I had time to just look up.


7-16-08_media
The nature of my job? Hurry up and wait. I never liked the swarm of media that was present during high-profile assignments. Competition for space, the story, and the prestige. It is like a dance where the partners fight to lead while the subject watches it unfold.



7-11-08 "Rings"
I looked down and saw these old hands hi-lighted with gold. I found out an amazing story behind his rings. Jose Regueiro was a former political prisoner from Cuba. The number on his ring, 28863, was his name until 1967. He didn't have a name. Regueiro moved to New York and became a dentist after being released. He moved to Miami and in 1988, he founded the Florida National College in Hialeah. The got this ring as a constant reminder of his past. He went from having nothing to being able to afford jewelry, which he sees as a sign of wealth.





7-12-08 "Bubble"
Childhood still exists! Despite computer games and video games, games outside are still around. A relay race in the inflated plastic bubble. The hamster wheel personified.



7-13-08 "Hat"
Outside was gray, yet humid. The day you see the rain coming and pray is hurries. I was just attracted to this hat. It just popped out at me, among everyone else. It felt like it did not belong in this setting. She should be on a sunny beach not under clouds about to burst with rain.

New Vision: Nissa Benjamin

Nissa Benjamin is a photojournalist for the Miami Herald. She is a recent graduate of the University of Florida, with a Bachelor of Science in journalism with a concentration in photojournalism and design.

Nissa specializes in documentary and feature photography. She has worked at four major newspapers, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Miami Herald, The Philadelphia Daily News, and The Myrtle Beach Sun News, as well at the University of Florida News Bureau.

Nissa was born in Hollywood, Fl., and has been obsessed with the camera for as long as she could remember. Her obsession turned into a passion during her summer internship with The South Florida Sun-Sentinel in tenth grade. Since then, she has balanced school with internship opportunities to deepen her passion and develop her art.

The definition of photojournalism to Nissa is the power to change. If an impression, view, or thought was changed through one of her images, she has succeeded. She strives to make images that are clean and minimal yet impactful.

Lately, she has been the telling stories of men of color and their passions. Like Max Citrin, an amateur body builder who dropped out of medical school to pursue a professional career. His journey of discipline and structure leading up to his first professional competition left little time for moments of serenity. Also, Chris “Contak” Saunders, a striving rapper originally from Boston but is trying to finish a degree at the University of Florida. His tattoo is Latin for “Let them hate, so long as they fear”, is a motto he bases his life and music around.



Nissa has just completed a portrait series on the many sides of Hip-Hop culture in the younger society of Gainesville. She wanted to show the difference from the culture seen on television and the traditions being kept alive by people who were not born when it began. The photograph of Sauders is also apart of this series This project will be featured in the University of Florida’s gallery this November.

Always looking for new experiences to grow as a photojournalist and person, Nissa is driven by the opportunity to tell stories through images.


Nissa Benjamin
The Miami Herald
University of Florida, College of Journalism and Communications Alumni,
E-mail: nissabenjamin@yahoo.com
Web site: www.nissabenjamin.com
Blog: http://nissabenjamin.blogspot.com/

New Vision

Iris PhotoCollective is showcasing the work of student journalists who are looking to engage in the visual language of photojournalism. The New Vision blog is an outlet for student photographers to get instruction and guidance from seasoned professionals.




Lauren Pond is a student photojournalist based in Chicago, where she is a senior at Northwestern University. She is pursuing dual degrees in journalism and art and a minor in French.

Lauren specializes in documentary, news, and feature photography and has done several photography projects in East Africa and India. She has worked for The Miami Herald and The Press-Enterprise, as well as student publications. She fluent in both English and French.

Lauren was born in Riverside, Calif., and became interested in print journalism during her high school years. She began her photojournalism career during her first year of college. Her experience as a reporter continues to influence her photography. She sees each photo as a story and an opportunity to make her words into images.



On June 13, 2007, Lauren Pond boarded a plane bound for Uganda, a small, relatively peaceful country nestled in the volatile region of East Africa. Accompanying her were her camera bag and five students.

For the next two months, Lauren did documentary photo work with these students, who were part of a Chicago group called ProjectFOCUS. Her work took her to the district of Lyantonde in southwestern Uganda, where she completed photo stories about a vulnerable family and vocational training centers.

She studied abroad in Senegal in West Africa the following fall and, while she was there, completed a photography project about Koranic students called talibés who are required to beg as part of their education.



The summer and fall provided many challenges. Lauren left Africa with several photo stories and the lessons that her projects taught her. But in Africa she left a piece of herself and a promise to return one day and continue where she left off.

In the next several weeks, Iris will be showcasing the thoughts, words, and images of Lauren Pond regarding her journey to Africa.


Lauren Pond
Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
E-mail: thephotopond@gmail.com
Web site: www.thephotopond.com

I AM A MAN

Forty years ago, two Memphis sanitation workers were crushed to death in the back of a garbage truck where they had sought shelter from the rain. The compactor had apparently malfunctioned. The deaths galvanized a spontaneous strike by sanitation workers for better pay (the high end of the scale was about $1.80 an hour), better equipment (the trucks were old and in disrepair, which probably contributed to the worker’s deaths) and better working conditions (no breaks, no place to relieve yourself, no shower to wash the stink of garbage off yourself, 15 minutes for lunch, abuse from gun-toting supervisors and you had to walk through people’s yards, cutting and hauling away trees, gathering garbage, picking up dead animals, because the city did not require residents to put garbage in cans or take it to the curb.)

But a strike about labor issues quickly became one about race. The workers were virtually all African-American and the city’s response was by turns racist, patronizing and brutal.



Today, the strike is remembered for two things: 1) it led to the death of Martin Luther King, who was in Memphis to support the strikers when he was struck down by an assassin’s bullet; 2) the iconic images of the strikers wearing placards bearing a statement that was, in the context of the time, incendiary: I AM A MAN.

Forty years later, Carl Juste and Leonard Pitts, Jr. travel the Southeast looking at the state of black manhood in 2008 through six prisms: dignity, education, racial violence, crime and poverty; sports, style. Each prism will be reported from a city with symbolic resonance, but will include interviews and reportage from elsewhere in the country. The overarching title: I AM A Man.

Above is the intial project written by Leonard Pitts that we proposed to our paper, The Miami Herald. Several meetings later, the project was scaled down to covering only the surviving garbagemen of Union 1733 who walk out during the Memphis Worker's Strike of 1968 and the effects of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., on the minds and spirits of those Memphis strikers. The project was reduced to one city and a short stay in Memphis.




It does not take a rocket scientist to understand reasons behind the scaling down of such an important project. Like everything else in the news business, priorities have changed. Many newspapers are under extreme pressures to make high double digit profit margins, reducing cost while curtailing or at best reducing the impact of declining circulation and ad revenues. To The Miami Herald's credit, they did create the space and found the resources to make sure the project got good play, but The Miami Herald is not the average newspaper, nor does it operate in an average market. It took the strength of many staffers, editors, designers, to bring our project to life. Though shorter in stature, it remains strong and still powerful.

Where do we go from here? That is the million dollar question. How do we produce stories, photos, essays, and meaningful pieces about people of color in this current business environment? Editors, managers, and publishers will be the first to remind you their reasons for scaling down without ever offering a single reason why we need to build up, expand, engage, and better inform our readers. In the last four years, many of my friends, and in my opinion great journalists, have either quit, moved on to another career, or just fallen silent at critical moment when newspapers need them the most. Newsrooms continue to shrink, our workload continues to rise, and at best most wages remain stagnent (or have deminished) due to the high cost of surviving and low raises. We will have starved the 'Watchdog' to death and wonder why he/she no longer barks.


However, all is not lost. Just as those before us dared to state the obvious, so must we. We must be prepared to declare our importance not as individuals but as an institution. Big business, big government, special interests, and many other entities would love to see a smaller role of print journalism. They have sold us the power of the internet as 'the second coming' as many of us abandon our faith in order to save our flesh.

It has been forty years since the assassination of King, I find his words more powerful than ever:

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

- Martin Luther King, Jr. 04/03/68





I can only hope we have the same resolve and courage to save our profession, or we will have not only abandoned our past, but have dammed our future.




Here are several links of interest:
www.miamiherald.com/285
www.afscme.org/about/kingspch.htm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FiCxZKuv8