The creation of Magnum Photos.

Magnum Photos was founded two years after the apocalypse of the Second World War ended. This world’s most prestigious photographic agency was formed by four photographers – Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David Seymour, who were very much scarred for life by the conflict and were motivated by a sense of relief that the world was still curious about what was happening during the World War II.

These four formed Magnum to allow them and the fine photographers who would follow the ability to work outside the formulas of magazine journalism. The agency, initially based in Paris and New York and more recently adding offices in London and Tokyo, departed from conventional practice in two fairly radical ways. It was founded as a co-operative in which the staff, including co-founders Maria Eisner and Rita Vandivert, would support rather than direct the photographers.

The authors of the imagery would hold copyright, not by the magazines that published the work. This meant that a photographer could decide to cover a famine somewhere, publish the pictures in "Life" magazine, and the agency could then sell the photographs to magazines in other countries, such as Paris Match and Picture Post, giving the photographers the means to work on projects that particularly inspired them even without an assignment.

Abbas, joined the prestigious photo agency Magnum back in 1981 and roamed the world for 45 years, covering major political and social events and publishing his works widely in world magazines and newspapers. Born in Iran in 1944 and later moved to Paris, Abbas shares his thoughts and perspectives in his actual photo exhibition in the National Museum of Singapore in Singapore. Photography is an art and being a recognized photographer for a prestigious institution is an accomplishment in the life of the latter. So Abbas made his way from being a simple man to a well-known photographer. "My photography is a reflection, which comes to life in action and leads to meditation. Spontaneity - the suspended moment - intervenes during action, in the viewfinder."

Public Voice

Public Voice

Photography is indeed an expansive form of art that not just includes portraiture, landscape or glamour photography but more than that. Yet professional and amateur photographers may favor specific types of photography over others. A professional photographer may work in photojournalism while an amateur may be interested in macrophotography. Here are the various types of photography.

Photojournalism

Although amateurs may choose this field without proper formal training, photojournalism is often limited to only professionals. it is practiced professionals because photojournalists must be sure that their shots maintain the integrity of the original scene. Photojournalism requires the photographer to shoot only the facts, that is, no photoshop or alteration of the photo is permitted. However, photojournalism pictures are powerful images that engage the viewer with the news story. knowing how to take such shots to capture the original emotion of that particular moment is often learnt only through years of practice and experience.

Action Photography

Sports photography is one of the fastest and most exciting types of photography. As with any action shot, a good sports photographer has to know his or her subject well enough to anticipate when to take pictures. The same set of rules apply to photographers taking action shots of animals or a plane taking off.

Glamour Photography

Glamour photography is sometimes confused with pornography. it may be sexy and erotic but it is not pornographic. Glamour photography seeks to capture its subject in suggestive poses that emphasize on curves and shadows instead on nudity and lurid poses. The goal of glamour photography is to depict the model in a glamorous light, hence the shots are flirtatious, mysterious and playful.

Portraiture

Portraiture is one of the oldest types of photography. Whether the subject is your family or your pet, the goal of portraiture is to capture the personality of the subject or group of subjects on film.

Wedding photography

Wedding photography is a blend of different types of photography.Despite the wedding album is a documentary of the wedding day, wedding photos can be retouched or edited to produce a variety of effects. For example, a photographer might treat some of the pictures with a black and white toning to give them a more classic look. In addition, a wedding photographer must have portrait photography skills. He might need as well to employ glamour photography techniques to capture the bride and groom at their best.

Travel Photography

Travel photography may span several categories of photography, including advertising, documentary or vernacular photography that depicts a particularly local or historical flavor. A travel photographer can capture the feel of a location with both landscapes or portrait photos.

Personal Voice

The reason why I chose photography is because it is the act of taking pictures for sentimental reasons, as a hobby or keeping informed with new events. Similarly, taking pictures help us to stay in touch with past events, thereby enabling you to appreciate history. My interest for photography started back in 2003, after the death of my grandmother. I was a little bit young but still I recalled all the good moments I shared with her, with the help of photographs I came across of her and me when I was still a kid. Behind every picture that I take there is a story, what I want to express or what I want people to feel. Photography is an art, simply what I want others to see through my lens, to feel what I felt for taking that particular picture and also to introduce them to my world of escapism. A picture is worth a thousand words. What is expressed or understood by looking at the picture varies from person to person.

The above picture I took at the beginning of this year was a photo shoot I did with my girlfriend. It was easier for me to get what I really wanted out of her, as she knows exactly what I am looking for when I shoot, of course depending on the concept. I was really influenced by the fantasy painter Boris Vallejo, depicting a world of fantasy where one would loose him or herself in the painting. For the picture, I wanted to share that same feeling. The model seems lost, looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, she expresses a feeling of hope, expecting a better future at the same time being sad. In photography, it is amazing how you can get different feelings out of a single picture.

This other picture I took from one of my photojournalism class about poverty. That day it was unbelievable to see to how some people living at the threshold of poverty be really welcoming, allowing strangers into their homes to take pictures of them, offering them refreshments and have a few talk. The reason behind the picture is simply to show that for a kid no matter in which living condition he or she is a simple thing can make him or her happy. Fore we say a child embodies innocence.

Narrating Self...

Narrating the self

I am a 3^rd year student, following a Mass Communication course at Charles Telfair Institute, and amongst the modules that we had was the photography module. This module, in fact, has triggered my interest in photography. Thereafter, I wanted to better myself in this field, therefore, I joined an advance course conducted by Jameel Peerally, a well-known photographer both at national and international level. This course has greatly enhanced my capabilities in photography.

Annotation

The reason why I choose this picture is because it means a lot to me. Although being a photographer, and always be behind the camera instead of being in front of it, it is quite tough for a photographer to comment on a self-portrait picture but here it is. The message I wanted to express through this photo is that in life, you should always aim for something higher and better. Leaning in the dark and the past is not what you should do. Always stay focused on your long-term goals, which will help you to hold on and remember what you need to do.