Schwartz - Ed Kashi

This past Thursday, Ed Kashi came to speak at Newhouse. I found his presentation to be both enlightening and effective, as he shed light on the issues that he focuses on through his photography and did an articulate job of describing the thought process behind his work. Photography is an art that is more multi-faceted than one may think, and he helped expose the details of the practice and raise awareness about the effort that goes into a good photograph. I found his effort to be extremely effective, as this was a topic I did not know much about but ended up understanding a great deal. Not only is photography a topic I have never before known much about, but it is one I have never been particularly interested in, and now I am fascinated by the power of visuals.

He spoke about a number of his individuals projects, but one that sparked my attention was the Niger Delta. Through this photography, Kashi focused on the oil problems in Nigeria. He used his skill to help a social issue that plagues our world today, bringing attention and emphasizing the extent of the problems in Nigeria. He used his abilities to make a difference, as people were impacted by his photography and used his work to help a cause. Kashi uses his gift to make a difference, and this is a skill that should not be undermined. He explained the way that photography is more complex than one may think, and how it is important to focus on the important parts of a picture and not get distracted in the endeavor to dig too deep. This is something to remember, because his affection for simplicity helps asist in the effectivness of a photo's message.

Stanislaus- Ed Kashi

This past Thursday, photojournalist Ed Kashi was a guest speaker at Newhouse. In his presentation he discussed many of his projects which include Iraqi Kurdistan, Aging in America: The Years Ahead and Niger Delta. Each of the pieces were extremely powerful pieces. Kashi discussed how he looks for things often left unnoticed and he wants to give a voice for people who don't have a voice. One of Kashi's statements was, "I feel it better to focus than drill down deep." From this statement, I felt that he was saying it is better to focus on what is right in front of you rather than looking to deep into things to find something that is not there. This is true for photography because as a photographer you have seconds to capture a shot and you can't stand there overanalyzing what you want to capture.

Kashi's piece Niger Delta was about Nigeria and its oil. He captured the corrupt government and the poor lives that the people of Nigeria live. One of his photos was of a boy working and carrying a goat. The reason why I'm mentioning this photo is because after a woman saw this photo in the National Geographic she discovered the boys name and his information and began to pay for his education and he no longer works there anymore. This just proves how much a picture can capture and change someones life. I feel that Kashi message was that if you are going to capture a shot, capture its dimensions and its emotion. The simplest photo can speak a million words.