Following last year's Pulitzer Prize photography exhibit, the Montana Museum of Art & Culture at The University of Montana is hosting another photographic journey through history with "Jam Session: America's Jazz Ambassadors Embrace the World."

The exhibit chronicles the international tours of the jazz legends who served as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. State Department from the 1950s through the 1970s.

 

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Photojournalist Louis Psihoyos won the highest honor, an Oscar, for his documentary film "The Cove" during Sunday's Academy Awards. The last time a still photographer won an Oscar was when Zana Briski won in 2004 for "Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids."

Psihoyos directed "The Cove," which documents an annual, and often brutal, dolphin hunt in the small town of Taiji in Japan. With his first film, it won the Oscar for best documentary.

A graduate from the University of Missouri's journalism school, Psihoyos worked at the Los Angeles Times before becoming a shooter for National Geographic. Read about his own wrestling with shooting video over stills and the decision to make the film "by whatever means necessary" after failed cooperation with Japanese officials and townspeople in his interview with the National Press Photographer's Association here. Check out the video for a preview of "The Cove" and visit "The Cove" Web site here.

 

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The Associated Press Director of Photography Santiago Lyon released a statement yesterday via Facebook explaining the AP's decision to not run a White House photograph of the Dalai Lama and President Barack Obama. The White House image was the only photo of the event available.

Read Lyon's full statement here.

Heres a couple quotes from the release:

We won't accept or use handout photos if we feel access would have been possible by the media, either as a group or through a pool photo arrangement. This position is particularly important to us when covering government activities in democratic nations where we believe an independent view is important.

Snip

Access to the public activities of the president of the United States, we believe, is a fundamental right of the media. Government-controlled coverage is not acceptable in societies that promote freedom and democracy. As a result, we don’t distribute official images of events we believe should be open to the press.

 

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Ashton Kutcher seems to be doing a decent job hawking Nikon cameras. I even get Lady Gaga being the new creative director for a specialty line of Polaroid products. I'm just not sure if I understand the celebrity pick of entertainer Drew Carey to be on the National Press Photographers Association national board of directors.

 

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In a tornado of media excitement and speculation, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s new iPad last week. Everyone seems to be quite excited about Apple’s new project. The unveiling has definitely been accompanied by the “Apple is Cool” factor. Even Stephen Colbert pulled a tablet out of his coat during the Grammy Awards show, asking his daughter in the audience if it made him look cooler. And people like me, being an Apple geek, have been totally caught up in the hype.

 

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It is easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of media coverage dedicated to the devastation and relief efforts in Haiti following the earthquake last week. I believe, however, these are times where the power and importance of a still image stands out.

 

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The Story Beyond the Still "The Cabbie" - Behind The Scenes from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

Photographer Vincent Laforet has in interesting concept here. Teaming up with Canon, he is introducing the first user-generated HD video contest and is challenging photographers to become filmmakers and "see beyond the still." Laforet was given a still image, which he interpreted into a short movie, the first chapter of seven shot on his Canon EOS 7D of course. Each chapter will end with a still photograph that will be the inspiration for the next chapter. The contest will begin Jan. 15, 2010.

Watch the video above for more details.
Click here to see his short film, "The Cabbie."
More information on Vincent Laforet's blog here.

 

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Tailored to outdoor and adventure photographers, Telluride, Col., is hosting its inaugural photography festival this year. World-renowned professionals have been scheduled to share, teach and inspire the week of Sept. 20-26, 2010.

There are a variety of four, three and two-day workshops, as well as half-day beginner and intermediate classes for those keeping an eye on their budget. Workshops include Light on the Land with Pulitzer Prize-winner and National Geographic photographer Jack Dykinga, Telluride Fall Landscapes with Tom Till, Shooting Adventure Photography with the Geographic's Gordon Wiltsie (who currently lives in Bozeman) and Location Lighting with Telluride photographer Doug Berry – to name a few.

Visit the Telluride Photo Festival 2010 Web site here.

 

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