Make-A-Crane
Category: Photography
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Solitude
A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free. – Arthur Schopenhauer
Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life. Silence is pushing the off button. Shutting it down. All of it. – Khaled Hosseini, Amir in The Kite Runner
Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness. – George MacDonald
These quotes are thanks to Steve McCurry’s beautiful collection of images and quotes on solitude and silence.
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Antiwar Photographer
“I used to call myself a war photographer…Now I consider myself an antiwar photographer.” -James Nachtwey
Nachtwey has covered conflict in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Northern Ireland, Rwanda, South Africa, the West Bank and Gaza, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Iraq.
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“Tunnel of Love”
There are lots of great photography blogs. Here is a beautiful picture taken in Ukraine called “Tunnel of Love.” Here are flower pictures. Such beauty about this world! (What if the world were covered in flowers? We’d sneeze a lot.) Steve McCurry. Canadian Hiking Photography.
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“Why Afghan Women Risk Death to Write Poetry”
Love these investigative multiple-page articles.
“A poem is a sword.” -Saheera Sharif
“Making love to an old man is like
Making love to a limp cornstalk blackened by fungus.”
-Gulmakai, 22, an Afghan woman whose father made her marry an old man at 15
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Photojournalism
Photo Essays from Mother Jones. Here is the environment page. And politics page. Charles Taylor. For those who don’t know what Mother Jones is, prepare yourselves:
“Mother Jones is a nonprofit news organization that specializes in investigative, political, and social justice reporting. We currently have two main “platforms”: an award-winning bimonthly national magazine (circulation 240,000), and a website featuring new, original reporting 24-7. (In the past we’ve had a radio show and TV specials; theme parks are in the conceptual stage.) Why should you read or support us? Because “smart, fearless journalism” keeps people informed—”informed” being pretty much indispensable to a democracy that actually works. Because we’ve been ahead of the curve time and again. Because this is journalism not funded by or beholden to corporations. Because we bust bullshit and get results. Because we’re expanding our investigative coverage while the rest of the media are contracting. Because you can count on us to take no prisoners, cleave to no dogma, and tell it like it is. Plus we’re pretty damn fun.”
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Go Smell the Flowers
“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.” -Iris Murdoch
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Conflict Photography
Here are amazing photography and explanations tagged as “Conflict Photography” from the New York Times.
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Lucas Foglia
For a series called “A Natural Order,” Lucas Foglia photographed people living self-sufficiently (“off the grid”) in southeastern America. Here is his website, which includes resources for those interested in such a lifestyle.
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Steve McCurry’s Photos On Afghanistan
This is a beautiful photo essay by Steve McCurry, a worldwide photographer. It is called “Afghanistan: A Look Back.” Subscribe to his blog to get these kinds of posts by email.
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Steve McCurry
Steve McCurry has a wonderful blog featuring his photography from around the world. Here are a few quotes of his:
There is nothing more gratifying than helping people whom I have photographed because most often, it is impossible to locate them again.
I have always been interested in the ways that people around the world share things in common. All of those things remind us of what the human condition is really about.
Make-A-Crane 